At about 5:15 p.m., rescue swimmers went to help two people stranded in the Rappahannock River.
Rescue crews reported a female clinging to a rock and a male on atop rock near Riverside Drive in Fredericksburg. At this point, we don’t know the conditions of the victims.
Initial reports indicate the two may have been paddleboarding on the river. Reports also indicate the swimmers planned to pull the two victims ashore at Old Mill Park in Fredericksburg.
We’ll post more here as we have it.
As the weather warms, more people are expected to flock to the riverside, the site of several beach parks that attract thousands of poeple to the water each year. Stafford County’s Historic Port of Falmouth Park, near where today’s incident occurred, has been the site of multiple drownings over the years.
Officials warn the Rappahannock River is a tidal river with rapidly-changing currents. The river bed is rife with dropoffs, rocks, and debris that make the water even more dangerous for waders and swimmers.
